Originally Posted by
Myosmith
Those who have read my recent posts know I'm working on improving the braking on my old Trek 1400. It currently has old single-pivot 105 brakes that, for what should be midrange quality, are rather whimpy and the brakes as a whole rather mushy. I came across a pair of Shimano RX100 dual pivot brakes that look and feel a bit beefier. Would someone please fill me in on the advantages of dual pivot over single pivot? I'm switching from the old hard anodized rims to some Alex double wall with machined braking surfaces and have replaced all cables and housings being very careful about bends and loop length. So far the stopping has gone from downright scary, to reasonably acceptable. Would replacing the single pivot with the dual pivot brakes likely improve stopping, both overall and modulation, even further?
It depends. Both dual pivot and single pivot brakes come (and came) in different qualities. Some are junk and some perform very well. In theory a dual pivot design has more mechanical advantage. In reality - if you can't pull the levers hard enough to stop - its probably for some other reason altogether. Good quality brake pads make a HUGE difference in stopping power assuming you're already using a decent brake. Dual pivot brakes are easier to center, single pivot brakes are lighter. Currently I have two road bikes - both with 2011 Ultegra brake pads. One runs 2011 Shimano Ultegra dual pivot brakes and 1995 Mavic Cosmic Elite wheels, the other runs 1988 Shimano 600 Ultegra single pivot brakes and a 2008 Shimano Ultegra wheelset. Braking performance is virtualy identical.